


Hide and Seek

by DaenerysTargaryen



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Drama, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-08-20 06:10:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20223115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaenerysTargaryen/pseuds/DaenerysTargaryen
Summary: There was no way Cade would agree to give up his chance at siphons, especially not for a pair of annoyingly broken vampire brothers. Nevertheless, souls needed to be collected and he didn't want eternal children by his side.The Devil could wait.ORAU where Cade/THE LITERAL DEVIL didn't die and instead of accepting the Salvatore brothers, he made a deal with them to let the Saltzman twins grow before taking them for himself.





	1. A Deal's a Deal

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little side-piece project I started working on a while ago. It's meant to be short and I'm not quite sure of the quality or effort that will be put into this but I figured it's worth sharing. 
> 
> Let me know what you think!

“Eighteen.”

“That’s too young,” Stefan argued. 

Cade smirked and shrugged. “I could take them now.” He was already being generous by allowing the twins time to grow up. Frankly, he didn’t want to raise two children but he knew of their potential. Immortal vampires were nothing compared to what the two Saltzman twins could become. Give it time and Cade knew they would be the most powerful reapers he’s ever had. 

Cade looked down at the children and offered them his hand. “What do you say, girls? Would you like to join me?”

Both the twins looked at each other in confusion. 

“Stop! Fine, eighteen!” He had no choice. They could deal with Cade later. He just needed to buy time until they could rid the world of him. 

“Wonderful.” Arcadius knelt before the girls and took their hands. “I will see you two soon.” He turned to Stefan, who was waiting on the other side of the pool. “If you try anything funny, I’ll consider our contract broken and I will take them.”

* * *

Alaric watched from the rearview mirror as his two girls slept. Tears were falling from his eyes knowing he had failed. No matter how hard he and Caroline had tried, they couldn’t rid themselves of Cade (at least not without their daughters getting hurt in the process). After their first attempt, Cade had sealed their life to his. His death would take them with him and while he believed that the fate Cade had in-store may be much worse than death, how could any father kill his own daughters? 

Eighteen. 

They had turned eighteen. He and Caroline had hidden the truth, unable to muster the courage to tell them, but he wasn’t sure he regretted it. Seeing their eyes full of light and happiness… they at least deserved their childhood and that happiness for as long as they had it before it was ripped away from them.

Caroline’s hand was secured in his own as tears similarly feel down her face. She couldn’t keep herself together. Not when she knew what was going to happen. They had every counter-measure secured but they knew it would only delay the inevitable.

Hours drifted by as they drove away from the school--nothing seemed amiss. Until the moment the clock struck twelve and two figures appeared out of nowhere. Alaric stepped on the brake, causing the girls to stir. “Dad, what’s happening?” 

The Salvatore brothers slowly walked towards the stopped car, ripping off the doors on either side. “Did you think you could outrun the devil?”

Lizzie and Josie sat up, their hands connected. “Dad, mom, what’s going on?” Lizzie demanded. They had already begun to mutter a spell but Damon ripped Alaric out of his seat.

“Now, now, girls. Let’s not do anything too rash. Dear old dad is worn for his age. Wouldn’t want him to trip and break his neck would we?” His hands were firmly on Alaric’s neck, ready to snap it at a second’s notice.

Damon dragged Alaric back with him, Stefan falling into place beside his brother. “Now why don’t both of you get out of the car?”

Josie looked over at Lizzie, panic in her eyes. What was going on? “Mom?”

Caroline could only watch with wide eyes as the men she once knew threatened Alaric. “Let him go!”

Josie and Lizzie had already climbed out of the car, unwilling to risk their father’s life. They could take the vampires. 

Stefan suddenly pulled out to vials of dark liquid and tossed it to the girls. “Drink up, ladies.” Damon tightened his grip on Alaric’s head, causing him to groan in pain--motivation. “And don’t try any of your weird red hand glowy stuff. I’ll break his neck before you can even mutter a syllable.” 

They looked down at the vials and immediately recognized or at least had a good guess as to what it contained. “Lizzie…” Her sister nodded her head. It was blood. They could feel the magic that was contained in the substance and knew that it wasn’t just blood--it was vampire blood. 

“I’m going to count to three and if it’s not done by the time I get to zero, you can say goodbye to daddy!” Damon smiled, again tightening his grip. “Three….two…”

Before he could reach one, both girls had downed the disgusting substance. “There! We did what you wanted, now let him go!”

“Perfect.” Damon tossed Alaric away, causing Caroline to rush to catch him before both Stefan and Damon appeared behind the girls. Caroline had only just noticed when two loud snaps could be heard and her daughters collapsed to the ground.

They were gone a second later.

* * *

When Josie awoke, the first thing she noticed was her unconscious sister beside her. “Lizzie?” She managed to push herself up so that she could shake her. “Lizzie!” she called, willing her sister to open her eyes. She had no idea where they were but she knew wherever they were, they had to get out. 

Lizzie groaned and managed to open her eyes. Her neck hurt like a bitch and she immediately reached back to rub it. What happened?

“Lizzie?” Josie repeated, a breath of relief leaving her when her sister confirmed she wasn’t dead… at least not fully. 

“Jo?” Lizzie’s vision cleared up a bit and she was met with the sight of her concerned sister. “Where are we?”

“I don’t know…” Josie sat up. They were in a brightly lit room, metal and glass sealing them away. Josie was barely able to remember what happened before they had passed out. They were with their parents when they had been attacked and they had been forced to drink blood… Josie suddenly gasped. 

Before she could tell Lizzie what she remembered, a figure opened the door and appeared before them. “I’ve been waiting quite a while for you girls,” Cade stated. “My name is Cade. This isn’t the first time we’ve met but I don’t expect either of you to remember the first time we had.” He waved his hand forward and suddenly two bodies were flung onto the ground. Their throats had been bitten open and hearts were still beating but only barely. He walked behind them and placed a hand on their shoulders. It immediately sent chills through both of them. “Now, I’ve waited long enough to collect you two. I’d rather not wait any longer.”

He suddenly grabbed Josie by the back of her neck and forced her face into the pool of blood that had collected on the neck of one of the bodies. Josie struggled against his grip, doing her best to keep her mouth tightly closed but he continued to hold her until her body struggled for air. The moment the scent invaded her nostrils and a drop of blood hit her tongue, it was over. 

Cade smirked and let go. He didn’t have to hold her anymore. Josie herself had gripped onto the body and hungrily began to drain it. When it came to vampires, there was no fighting nature.

Lizzie watched in horror as her sister drank, only emerging when the body was empty. The next time she saw her sister’s face, her eyes were red, black veins sprouted from them, and sharp fangs had extended from her teeth.

“No…” Lizzie didn’t even have enough time to process it before Cade repeated his actions on her, forcing her to transition against her will. Like clockwork, Lizzie was equally powerless to resist and when she emerged, Cade had two vampire-witch hybrids at his disposal. Of course, he needed to train them for their new job but it wouldn’t take long. Vampires were killers and Cade would rid them of their moral inclinations. It would be his own little experiment. He wanted to break every bit of nurture that Caroline and Alaric had invested into them. 

They were meant to be monsters and Cade was practically giddy at the chance to prove it.

But first, he had to break them down before he could rebuild them.

As the girls processed what they had just done, Cade left the cell, securing the door behind him.

Josie backed herself into a corner, horrified at the dead body that was left in the wake of her actions. She began to shake, unable to contain the sobs that were rising up her chest. What was going on and how was all of this happening? In the span of hours, Josie had transformed from a witch high school student to a completely-transitioned vampire.

Lizzie crawled over to her sister and held onto her, needing Josie to keep herself afloat. The same thoughts were rushing through her own mind and she didn’t know how to process them. All they were left with was themselves, their thoughts, and the two bodies of the first people they had ever killed.

* * *

“Girls, dinner time!” Instead of Cade, it was Damon who was dragging two bodies behind him. With one quick tap of a button, the air vents inside the containment room began to expel the oh-so-lovely vervain mist. It was diluted, of course, but it was still enough to burn through vampire lungs.

Damon did not envy their positions right now. 

Josie and Lizzie began to cough, their eyes stinging and skin burning. It felt like they were being misted with acid and it was even worse breathing in the concoction. Damon left the mist on for a few extra moments before turning the vents back on and taking away the toxic air. Considering they were starving, their vampire healing wasn’t quick enough for them to recover and escape when Damon opened the door and threw the two bodies in.

Josie and Lizzie barely looked up from their spot on the ground, the smell of blood as disgusting as it was intoxicating. They wouldn’t do it. They couldn’t kill another person. They held each other tight hoping that one would stop the other and vice versa. Their parents would save them. Their mom would teach them how to survive without human blood. They just had to wait…

* * *

“Josie, I can’t…” Her eyes flickered over to the bodies. They had resisted for a few days but any strength they had was quickly leaving them. Each day, the body dump process would be repeated and the smell of blood was becoming harder and harder to resist. 

Lizzie’s eyes began to pulse, red seeping into them. 

This was what  _ he _ wanted; Cade wanted them to be desperate, to underestimate their own strength, to experience the absolute joy their power afforded them while ripping people apart.

“Lizzie!” Josie shook her sister, trying to get her to snap out of it. Josie’s hands began to glow red, hoping that siphoning from Lizzie would weaken her enough for Josie to stop her. But the moment Lizzie’s arms started to desiccate, Josie had to let go. They would die if they continued this… 

The one moment of distraction was enough for Lizzie to break out of Josie’s grip and flash over to the fresh bodies. Once she was within hands-reach of her target, it was over. All Josie was able to do was weakly watch as Lizzie devoured what blood was left in that one body. Watching made her own throat dry up and her fangs began to extend. 

Neither of them could fight their newfound nature and when Josie also gave in to her thirst, there was no going back.

* * *

“You could end your sister’s suffering, Josie,” Cade matter-of-factly stated. Lizzie was on her knees beside him, his fingers entwined in her hair as she screamed in agony. They were truly powerful. They had reached the point where Damon and Stefan could no longer control them. Unfortunately, that meant Cade himself had to get his hands dirty. He looked down at Lizzie, watching as her mind burned her from the inside out. 

“Stop! I’ll do it!” Josie screamed. Cade let go of Lizzie and she collapsed, her mind too spent to keep her conscious. The ruler of hell knew how to make people suffer and breaking the girls would be all too easy. It reminded him of Seline and Sybil and how easily he was able to instil inside them an eternal fear of him. He just had to do the same to Josie and Lizzie so that they wouldn’t even consider betraying or displeasing him. 

Josie turned back to the crowd in front of her. Humans watched on, completely silent and still as they had been compelled to do. Their eyes were widened in horror and their hearts were drumming an almost addictive beat. She had no choice. She had to do this…

There was no choice.

Those words were her mantra as Josie bit into their necks, ripping them apart, and leaving a trail of blood and dead bodies behind her. By the time she had returned to Cade, her legs collapsing under the pressure of her own guilt, she was covered head to toe in blood and there was an emptiness in her eyes. “Good girl,” he congratulated. 

Pleased with the results, he disappeared, leaving Josie and Lizzie alone. Lizzie was still passed out and Josie had curled into a ball, hugging herself as she drowned under the scent of blood that surrounded her. Even if her parents did find her, would they want her anymore? She and Lizzie had become merciless killers--everything their parents hoped they wouldn’t be. 

Josie looked down at her bloodstained hands. They trembled as she thought of what she had done over the past weeks. She could no longer keep count of the many lives that had fallen in the course of her ‘training’. It would only get worse and she knew she couldn’t handle it anymore. She just wanted it to go away. 

She needed it to go away.

Josie gripped her head and closed her eyes, searching for the box inside her mind that would shield her away from all of this. It would protect her from all the pain and guilt, it would stop her from being her. Right now, Josie didn’t want to be herself. She didn’t want to be anyone.

She climbed into the box and sealed her scared self away.

When Josie opened her eyes, they were void of emotion. She got up and looked around her. Palm raised towards the mess of bodies, she muttered, “ _ Incendia _ .” They immediately burst into flames, destroying any evidence of the true horrors that befell this bar.

She leaned down and picked up her still unconscious sister. Instead of the sisterly love that used to consume her, she couldn’t feel anything. Lizzie was her partner in life and she could barely muster up the willpower to save her from the flames. She just knew it would be a pain in the ass if she lost her.

When Lizzie woke up, she was lonelier than ever.

* * *

“Is that all you’ve got, old man?” Lizzie teased as she sat on her tree branch. Damon was lying a few feet away from her, having just been blasted by a pulse of magical energy. Honestly, it was too easy. With the same reflexes and strength, normal vampires were no match for them and their ability to perform magic. 

Stefan groaned in pain as Josie pulled out the wooden stake that was just an inch away from his heart. “Can you believe we ever thought these two were scary?” Josie asked her sister, looking up at her, a sprinkle of amusement in her eyes. She tossed away the stick before walking over to one of the many compelled humans who had been forced to stand by as they fought. Without hesitating, she yanked one towards her and sunk her fangs into their neck, a refreshing drink after an hour of intense exercise.

Lizzie jumped down from her tree and sped next to Josie. “Do you think Cade will finally let us go forge our own path?” Lizzie dramatically stated, setting herself on the bench.

“If not, we can always kill those two to make a point,” Josie suggested, nodding back at the Salvatore brothers. She was done with the training wheels and ready to have some real fun. 

“He won’t like that. He’s big on his deals and he did promise to bring them back unharmed.”

Josie rolled her eyes. “He could revive them if he wanted to.” When she let go of the body, it fell to the ground with a soft thump. The heartbeat had been long silenced.

“Still, let's try not to anger the guy that likes to burn us in hellfire.”

Josie sighed. Lizzie had a point. Frankly, Cade was worse than their parents ever were when it came to controlling them. Josie almost missed the constant nagging. “Are you going to have a drink or should we head back?”

Lizzie smirked, her eyes darkening. That was the only answer Josie needed.


	2. Bait

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that my grip on canon is really wonky and things may not make much sense in the context of the TVD mythos but I'd drive myself insane trying to figure out how to make everything fit into a canon that has so many loopholes that you may as well place it on bread and eat it. 
> 
> Trust me, I tried to reason everything out because I hate inconsistencies but... sometimes I just gotta go easy on myself and let myself enjoy the writing process without giving myself a headache.

“ _ A series of animal attacks have been making their way across the state of Colorado. Residents are warned to stay inside and to call the police if they spot anything suspicious. Police are demanding that residents to not engage. _ ”

Alaric gritted his teeth and shut off the TV. He continued to look through the map of Colorado. It had been a year since he had seen his daughters despite spending every second tracking them down. At first, it was quiet. No mass deaths, no hint of his girls, but then the attacks started. He had been hunting vampires for too long not to know when someone had been killed by them. At first, he hoped that it was just Stefan and Damon, but when they were delivered at the Salvatore School doorstep with their humanity back in check, they had explained everything. 

His girls… They were gone.

They tried to resist. They had fought against the monstrous nature that was forced on them, but no one was more patient than the Devil and they eventually caved in. The pain was too much and their hearts couldn’t take it. There was only one action they could take and that was to save themselves. The monsters that were running out there, killing innocent people, they weren’t his daughters--only a hollow shell of the Devil’s making.

“We are getting close,” Hope said, though part of her was struggling to believe herself. Every time they got close, the twins would disappear. It was one thing to track vampires, it was a whole different story to track vampires that could cover themselves up in layers and layers of spells to make them untraceable. All they had were police reports and that always left them three steps behind.

And the twins knew it.

* * *

“Come on, Josie! I wanted to get to the mall before it closed,” Lizzie whined, her legs swinging from the roof she was sitting on

Josie came out of the cabin, her vampiric eyes only just calming down as she met her sister’s. “Didn’t you buy enough yesterday?” Josie was annoyed. She was having a good time and her sister’s rampant shopping habit was getting rather tedious.

“But look,” Lizzie pointed to her shirt, “You got blood on it! It’s the least you can do.”

Josie sighed and wiped the remaining blood from her lips.

Seeing her sister give up, Lizzie grinned and jumped off the roof, landing gracefully beside her. With one snap of her fingers, the house behind them went up in flames, killing what little evidence there was of their presence. “I hope you didn’t rip off any heads. It’s hard to make people believe they burned to death when the head is like five foot away from the body.”

“... My hands slipped.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes. “You’re so messy when you feed.” 

“I’m sorry. Not all of us are patient enough to play with our food.”

“I’m just testing them out before they reach the boss,” Lizzie explained, getting into the car they had just stolen. 

As Lizzie drove, Josie’s eyes stared out the window. While killing had been fun after they shut off their humanity, it was getting to be a bit mundane. She didn’t realize that collecting doomed souls for Cade would get so boring so fast and they had a damn eternity of it. 

“You can feel it, can’t you?” Josie suddenly asked, turning to her sister. “Your ex keeps trying to find us.” Josie smirked, “And you always teased me for having a clingy ex.” 

“We technically never broke up. How would you know if this isn’t just me extending the foreplay?” Admittedly, the idea of Hope finding her was kind of hot. It’s been a while since she’s had good sex. Everyone else was too fragile. 

“Gross.” 

Josie’s eyes returned to the window, thoughts of Penelope suddenly flooding her head. It had been three years and Josie had gotten over her, but sometimes she wondered what Penelope would think of her now. She dumped her for being too weak and now Josie was anything but weak. 

If anything, it was bitterness that fuelled her thoughts of her.

* * *

“I think we can--” Hope suddenly went quiet, her finger going to her lips to silence Alaric. There was someone walking around outside. ‘Stay here’ she mouthed to him. When that someone was in front of the door, she blasted it open before pouncing on the person, her yellow hybrid eyes glowing and her fangs-and-canines combination drawn.

“What the fuck, Mikaelson?” Penelope groaned, pushing herself up from the ground. She may have only been nineteen, nearing on twenty, but Penelope swore she was too old for this. She left Salvatore and was spoiled with a werewolf and vampire-free school in Belgium. Now she was back and the first thing she was attacked by was a damn mix of them. 

“Penelope?” The moment Hope recognized her, she withdrew, morphing back to her usual self.

“Do you nearly kill everyone who walks by your door?” Penelope muttered, standing up and brushing off the dirt. Unlike Hope, Penelope didn’t have super vampire healing and falling on her back was fucking painful.

“I didn’t exp-- What are you even doing here?” Hope suddenly questioned, her eyes narrowing at her ex-classmate. Alaric had appeared behind them and it was clear that he was equally confused by the appearance of the younger witch. 

“I just love roaming the streets of bum-fuck Colorado,” Penelope deadpanned. She sighed and rolled her eyes. “I went back to Salvatore for a visit since I was in the country but then I heard from the students that my ex-girlfriend was on a murdering spree across North America. I figured he,” she pointed to Alaric, “would know something about it.” The original plan was to sneak in, see Josie and how she was, before sneaking out. When the twins weren’t there, she got curious. It didn’t take much convincing to get someone to spill on what had happened. Apparently, everyone in the school knew and not a single one of her old friends bothered to tell her. 

Alaric frowned and stepped in front of Hope. “Why does it matter to you?” If Alaric remembered correctly, Penelope had broken his daughter’s heart after going behind his back and revealing to her the secret he had been trying to keep under wraps. The merge wasn’t even their biggest concern but it didn’t make explaining it to his daughters any easier. 

“I had some free time and I thought I would help out. You know there’s nothing I love more than ruining Lizzie’s day.” A lie, of course, but Hope could read right through it. Josie and Lizzie may have been blind to Penelope’s feelings for Josie on those last few days but Hope wasn’t. She knew romantic pining when she saw it. She was just surprised to see that Penelope still cared. 

“Now is anyone going to tell me exactly how and why Josie and Lizzie are running around killing people?” Her Josie? There was no way she wasn’t brainwashed or something. Heck, Penelope was willing to believe that maybe everyone was wrong and it wasn’t Josie at all. There was no way Josie was capable of the things she had been reading over the past few days. That wasn’t Josie. It couldn’t be. 

Hope sighed. “You might want to take a seat.” Frankly, they needed all the help they could get.

* * *

“Let me get this straight... You,” Penelope pointed at Alaric, “made a deal with the actual devil to sell Josie and Lizzie’s life away? Wow, how could that possibly backfire?” Penelope couldn’t help the sarcasm that escaped her. She was fucking furious. Was Josie fated for anything remotely positive? Penelope was half certain that even if they managed to save her from this mess, Alaric was probably hiding some other existential threat that Josie was destined to face.

“Look, the only person we should be pointing fingers at is Cade,” Hope stated, trying to ease the death glare Penelope was giving Alaric. Admittedly, Hope went off on her own lecture when she found out but the man was stressed enough. At the end of the day, he was a simple human doing the best he could.

“So what's the plan?” Surely they had to have one.

“The twins are vampires now,” Hope started, “that means they can be compelled by an original vampire. If I get them to look me in the eye, I can make them turn their humanity back on.” At least, she hoped that was how this all worked. Heretics were loopholes of nature. There was no telling what vampire rules applied to them or not. 

Penelope suddenly got up. “Let’s make it happen.”

Hope’s eyes widened. “We don’t know where they are.”

“Josie will come to me,” Penelope stated. 

“How do you know that?”

Truth was, she didn’t know. All she knew was that Josie had always been petty. She tried to hide that side of herself and was fairly good at controlling it, but vampire Josie had let go of whatever control she had over her darkest impulses. Josie had to be angry at her. If Penelope revealed herself, there was no way Josie’s curiosity and need for petty revenge wouldn’t drag her out--especially now that Josie knew she wouldn’t and couldn’t be hurt by her.

Penelope was also confident that Josie knew that the opposite was possible and that she had the potential to hurt Penelope more than she had been hurt by her.

* * *

Hope and Penelope took a deep breath. There was a map between them and they were seated in an abandoned warehouse they had found. If the twins were going to come to them, they couldn’t afford to have their meeting in public. Despite Alaric’s stubbornness, they were able to convince him to stay away and let the two magical witches handle things. 

“You ready, Mikaelson?” Penelope asked. Hope had tried every tracking spell she knew but most covens had their own variation of spells and this one came from Penelope’s. There was no guarantee that it would work but they just needed to alert the magic siphoning twins that someone new is poking around. Josie had to be too familiar with Penelope’s magic not to recognize it.

They connected hands and began to speak the words. 

* * *

“You’re walking us right into a trap,” Lizzie muttered, her arms crossed as she followed Josie into the warehouse. “Why do you even care that your ex is looking for you?”

Josie couldn’t answer that. She didn’t care. “I want to tell her to leave me alone.”

“When have you known Hepatitis-P to leave you alone?” Lizzie rushed ahead, suddenly super excited. “Can I kill her?” Lizzie was just giddy at the thought. Penelope had been a pain in the ass since she met the girl and Lizzie’s stupid morality always got in the way of her doing anything more than sass Penelope back. Now that she didn’t have to worry about the nagging sad consequences, she was more than willing to end it all.

Josie’s eyes widened before she shook her head. It was instinctive. She didn’t care. She just… didn’t want Penelope dead. Yet. 

Lizzie pouted, “Aww, why not? If you don’t care about her, why does it matter if I kill her? She’ll be gone from our lives.” 

“She’s the heiress to a powerful coven. The last thing we need is for them to avenge her,” Josie explained. It was an excuse but it still was a genuine thing they should worry about. Josie didn’t fear them, she didn’t fear anyone right now, but it still was an inconvenience. “Just let me handle it.”

As they walked deeper into the abandoned warehouse, the twin’s hearing began to pick up on two other heartbeats. It didn’t take much effort to speed to them, placing them face-to-face with their ex-girlfriends. “Looks like mine isn’t the only one that won’t leave us alone,” Josie mused, tossing her sister a cheeky look.

Penelope’s eyes immediately landed on Josie. She looked… different. Gone were the sweaters, skirts, and gentle curls, replaced with someone that looked right out of a lesbian biker fantasy. It was almost hot… if not for the fact that it wasn’t Josie. Penelope loved Josie for everything she was and seeing her right now, completely different, was more of a turn off than Penelope could have imagined. Gosh, did she really have that strong of a schoolgirl kink?

“Like what you see, Penny?” Josie teased, noticing the way Penelope was looking at her. It was a nice change in pace, being the one making Penelope speechless. Though she didn’t expect the flat out “no” that Penelope gave her in return. Okay, so that may have bruised the ego just slightly. 

“Josie… we don’t have to do this,” Penelope offered. They didn’t want to hurt either of them. The goal was just to get them to turn their humanity back on. The last thing either Penelope or Hope wanted was to turn this into an ex-girlfriend deathmatch. They had a lot of unresolved things to be angry about but not enough to kill one another. 

“We don’t… but it’s so much more fun this way.” Josie looked over at her sister, who’s fangs were already extended and clearly eager to pounce. Lizzie was getting too excited. Josie thought back to the extended foreplay comment and scrunched her face. “Try to keep it PG, sis.” 

Lizzie quirked her brow. “Pot calling the kettle black, Jo.” 

Josie shrugged. It’s been just as long since she’s had something so fun pop up. 

“Lizzie…” Hope suddenly called. This was also the first time she had seen her since she was taken away. Unlike Josie, Lizzie looked almost exactly the same. The only difference was that she was really smiling. Not that Lizzie didn’t smile often but they were one and the same when it came to their happiness. It was rare and only appeared when they were allowed to let go of everything. Initially, they had found that in each other. For both of them, it was life-saving.

“It looks like I’m not the only one who’s evolved,” Lizzie commented, tilting her head to the side as she took in Hope. Her magic signature was different and it was almost impossible for it not to be suffocating to the two siphons in the room. Hope was always powerful--her magic seemingly endless--but this was different. A new-found strength was coursing through her and Lizzie’s new sensitivity was able to read it. “I think we miscalculated, Jo,” Lizzie stated, looking at her sister. A witch and a werewolf-witch hybrid seemed like fun but Hope as a true tribrid? Lizzie wasn’t sure they were prepared for that.

Josie shook her head. “They aren’t going to kill us, Liz. They’re going to be fighting with one hand tied behind their backs.” She was mocking them; her words were the truth. They wouldn’t hurt them. The twins had no such reservations, however. 

Penelope had barely been able to register Josie had moved when she suddenly felt her back hit the wall, Josie’s body pressed against her. 

“Penelope!” Hope called when she disappeared from view, but before she could reach her, she was tackled to the other side of the warehouse. 

“Nuh-uh, this is a one-on-one match,” Lizzie declared, standing above Hope with her hand on her hip. Hope growled and her eyes glowed. Penelope could handle herself. Hope had a bitchy ex to deal with.

On the other side of the warehouse, Josie still had Penelope pressed against the wall. She stared into her eyes, wondering why she was hesitating. Josie hated her and was now a trained killer, yet something inside of her was stopping her. She could hear Penelope’s heart pounding through her chest and her eyes went red at the thought of what was coursing through her veins. She could also feel the raw power that was stored in Penelope’s tiny body. Penelope had always been addictive but Josie’s bloodlust amplified just how addictive she was.

Penelope met Josie’s eyes, trying her best to keep her fear at bay. As much as she wanted to believe that Josie wouldn’t kill her, she knew there was a high chance Josie would try. Her only guarantee was that if Josie was going to kill her, she would make it slow--this was too easy for her. 

It wasn’t until she felt the painful pull of Josie’s siphoning did she react. With a wave of Penelope’s hand, Josie was sent flying back and into the crates. It wasn’t like Penelope had never felt her siphoning before but Josie had always made sure it never hurt. Still, she had listened to Josie’s stories about how easily it could cause pain and it wasn’t until Josie’s hands were ripped from her that Penelope felt like she could breathe again.

Before Josie could get up, she felt waves of pain course through her head. She clutched her head between her hands and tried to focus enough to counter the spell but focusing was the last thing she could do when her brain felt like it was imploding on itself.

“Don’t make this harder than it has to be, Josie…” Penelope warned, her hand outstretched as she approached her. Josie wanted to play games but Penelope was in no such mood. The goal was to capture her--whether they really fought or not was irrelevant. It was the smart thing to do, even if it seemed cowardly.

Josie got up and tried to tackle Penelope, realizing her mistake for sparing her, but the moment Josie stood up, Penelope twisted her hand and with a quick  _ snap _ , the world went black. Penelope approached Josie’s body and sighed, rubbing her temples from the headache this all was. She cursed herself for being too sentimental. Feelings were so troublesome and even though Josie wanted to kill her slow and painfully, her heartstrings tugged seeing her ex passed out, her neck snapped in a very unnatural way. 

A few seconds later, Hope approached the two of them, Lizzie hilariously slung on her tiny shoulders. She looked over at Hope and tilted her head. “I hope you’re not expecting me to carry her.”

Hope rolled her eyes. “Why did I need you again?”

“To play Josie-bait. Now get on it, Beethoven.” 


	3. Lost

By the time either twin came to, they were already tied to chairs. Josie’s skin burned as the vervain soaked ropes held her down and struggling only made it cut deeper. She groaned when she realized what had happened and hit her head against the back of the chair. “Stupid,” she muttered to herself. 

“I told you so,” Lizzie deadpanned. She was seated across from Josie, looking not at all amused. They could have just ignored it. They knew that they wouldn’t be found. Lizzie had been able to ignore Hope poking around for months but apparently, Josie couldn’t ignore Penelope for one damn second. It was pathetic. 

“You can beat me up about it later. We need to get out of here first,” Josie stated. Lizzie wasn’t the type to let her ever hear the end of it and escaping with Lizzie alive would be difficult if her sister annoyed her to death. 

“Hate to tell you this, Jo, but we are up against people who know exactly how to deal with us.” 

“The old us.” Josie focused on trying to cast a spell but the moment she did, her head hurt and she felt dizzy.

“Tried that. They drugged us up too.” They really were the perfect combination to subdue them. Lizzie would have been impressed if not for the fact that it was happening to her. Lizzie sighed and leaned back in her chair, accepting their current circumstances. It was better for them to save their energy than to waste it on a useless struggle.

They sat like that for a minute or two before footsteps could be heard entering the room. When both the twins realized who it was, they both smiled. “Hi, dad!” they greeted, their voices light and playful. It did exactly what they wanted it to do and it struck right through Alaric’s heart. In front of him were his two girls--his sole purpose in life--and, although they were different, they were still  _ them _ . 

Alaric cleared his throat, needing the tightness to go away. He could barely contain the tears that threatened to fall but he couldn’t let them see that. All their lives, they were master manipulators when it came to their parents and he was confident that only got better with time. He couldn’t show weakness.

But he was weak. Seeing them tied up, their skin burning under the pressure of the ropes, made him want to free them and protect them. He was supposed to protect them and he failed--now he was the one hurting them.

“Girls,” Hope greeted, following behind and placing her hand on Alaric’s shoulder. He looked down at her and nodded, unable to speak. Hope was like a daughter to him and their relationship had only strengthened over the years. She was strong, especially when he was at his weakest.

He walked over to Lizzie and forced her to look Hope in the eyes. He was the only magicless being that they couldn’t hurt from just a single touch so while it pained him to touch his daughter like this, they had little choice. 

Hope leaned forward and met Lizzie’s eyes. She remembered all the times she would stare into them, always welcomed by Lizzie’s understanding. Their powers controlled them and they trusted each other to suppress it. Needless to say, since Lizzie was taken, Hope had destroyed many forests. “Lizzie,” Hope started, officially catching Lizzie’s stare and pulling her into her compulsion. “Turn your humanity back on.” 

Hope watched Lizzie for a few seconds, seeing if it had worked, but Lizzie just ended up laughing. “Oh my god, does it actually look that silly when we compel people? You could have at least tried to be a bit more flirtatious about it.”

Hope stood back up and sighed. Somehow, she knew something like this would happen. There were other ways to force them to turn their humanity back on but they wanted to start with the least painful method. But of course, it would have been too easy for her to compel them back. Knowing Lizzie and Josie, even if it were possible to compel them, they wouldn’t want to return. Hope could only imagine the pure agony they would feel if their guilt and pain hit them all at once. Hope knew that she would resist if she were in their shoes. 

“They really are magical black holes,” Penelope commented, her arms crossed as she leaned against the doorframe. It made sense; compulsion was just another manifestation of magic. If they were prepared for it, they probably could siphon it as it happened. “Time for Plan B.” 

Penelope walked over to Josie. “Last chance to take the easy way out,” she warned. Josie just smirked, not at all scared of what Penelope had in store. Fear was one of those human emotions that she had gotten rid of. Penelope sighed and shook her head before looking up at Alaric. “Dr. Saltzman?”

Alaric nodded and walked over to Josie, a syringe in hand. Now that they knew compulsion wouldn’t work, they didn’t have a reason not to keep them deeply knocked out on vervain. It would definitely make it easier to put them under a spell if they weren’t conscious enough to protect themselves from it. Josie again tried to wiggle her way out but Alaric easily plunged the needle into Josie’s arm. It only took a few seconds for the injection to work and Josie slumped into her chair. 

Penelope placed her hand on Josie’s shoulder before holding out her other for Hope to take. “Try not to kill me.” If Penelope had reservations, now was the time to voice them. She knew what they were doing was dangerous and it was probably stupid for her to risk her life just to ease Josie’s transition back to herself when there were so many other ways to force it out. Nevertheless, they all agreed that they didn’t want to torture the twins. Truthfully, none of them had the stomach to do it the hard way. 

Hope nodded and took Penelope’s hand. “Don’t worry. Invading people’s minds and entering different dimensions is my specialty,” she tried to joke though it landed incredibly flat. She had gotten the spell from her Aunt Freya and modified it with Penelope’s help to suit their needs. They had discussed the technique a dozen times and made sure to take every precaution. Unfortunately, there was always risk involved; a person’s mind is a scary place and it was too easy to get lost in one. 

Both Hope and Penelope closed their eyes and began to mutter the incantation required for the spell. With both of their magic and Hope’s vampiric ability to manipulate thoughts, they were able to break through to Josie’s mind. Penelope was alone in her exploration, however. Hope was her anchor and the backup if things went wrong. 

When Penelope opened her eyes, she was teleported back to the Salvatore School. It made sense, she supposed. The school was Josie’s home, the place where she felt safest. Still, it was incredibly annoying. It was just Penelope’s luck that Josie chose a place with a million different rooms and passageways. She would have to search the entire estate for Josie. 

Penelope carefully walked down the hallways, finding it odd to see the place so empty. Something was off about it but Penelope chalked it up to the fact that it was impossible for Josie to possibly remember all the details of the school. Her footsteps clicked and echoed through the empty halls. It was eerie and felt like death. 

When she reached the first set of classrooms, she paused. All of the doors were closed and some of them were shaking, as if someone was trying to get out but the door wouldn’t open. Penelope opened the first door on her left and what she saw made her gasp. The entire room was covered in blood. Severed body parts were tossed haphazardly all over the ground and furniture. The sight made Penelope sick and she quickly slammed the door closed. 

She leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths, calming the waves of nausea that were flowing up her body. The world was a nasty place and Penelope had seen dark things before but the massacre in that room was something else. She had never seen such a sight and it terrified her. Would it continue to be like this? Was this what existed in Josie’s mind? Death and fear?

Penelope straightened herself up. Now was not the time to take things slowly. She and Hope could only keep the invasion up for so long before Josie would wake up and Penelope would be pushed out or worse. She quickly went to the next room and while she hesitated, she was able to open the door.

This room wasn’t as terrifying as the last, though it was just as unpleasant. The bodies in this room were intact but they were slumped over their desks and lifeless. If it weren’t for all the death, one would think it was a classroom where everyone just fell asleep. Except for one person. In the middle of the class sat Josie. She wasn’t facing her but Penelope instinctively knew it was her. When Penelope got closer, she noticed a steady red glow surrounding her. “Josie?” she called, she reached out to touch her but the moment her hand got close, a steady pain shot up her arm and Penelope once again felt like she couldn’t breathe. She ripped her hand away and looked down at it. She immediately felt weaker; Josie was siphoning.

Penelope looked around her and her eyes widened. The bodies organized in this room weren’t just random strangers. She saw the faces of her ex-classmates. The werewolves and witches looked fine, aside from the fact that they were dead and their faces were twisted into pure fear, but the vampires were completely desiccated. Penelope took a step away from the person in the middle. She knew what this was. It was Josie’s worst fear. It was the manifestation of the impulses she buried deep inside her. 

Penelope remembered a conversation they had when they were dating. She and Josie had been working on a project and, being the lovesick fools they were, they left it until the last minute because they couldn’t keep their hands off each other. They finished, but using that amount of magic in one go was exhausting. While “celebrating” Josie had gotten lost in her lust and accidentally began to siphon from her. Josie immediately jumped up and looked down at Penelope in horror. Penelope didn’t think much of it--it wasn’t the first time she let Josie use her magic--but Josie was noticeably shaken and that was when she explained everything.

No matter how much her parents tried to make Lizzie and her feel like normal witches, siphoning was a curse. While witches were born connected to nature, siphons weren’t. They were born with an emptiness that left them lonely and disconnected from the world around them. Josie explained it as if she were missing a part of herself--a limb. She knew it was supposed to be there but it just... wasn’t. However, the moment they siphoned, it was like the world around them had opened up to them and the emptiness disappeared, filled up by other people’s magic. 

It was addicting. 

It made them feel powerful. It was a high that always disappeared too quickly, making them constantly want more. Josie was terrified of it. She was terrified that she would hurt the people around her. Her impulse to take had to be contained and she succeeded for the most part. Nevertheless, that need was always present in the back of her mind and forgetting about it meant that she could kill the people she touched.

In this room, Josie had done just that.

Penelope backed away and closed the door behind her. That wasn’t the Josie she was looking for. At least, she really hoped that it wasn’t her only option. 

Penelope continued down the hallway, opening each door as she walked by them. She didn’t have time to analyze all of Josie’s thoughts and memories so the moment she knew Josie wasn’t there, she immediately shut the door. She practically ran through the hallways. The only time she stopped was when she grabbed a doorknob and her hand burned at the touch. Of course, Josie would have a damn mental room filled with fire.

She made her way up the floors, repeating the process. She ignored the dormitories unless the rooms held a particular significance and was beginning to realize that this wasn’t Josie’s whole mind. She was in the worst parts of it. 

When she made it to her old room, Penelope paused. She was curious about what it contained but this (out of everything so far) felt like a major invasion of her privacy. Maybe Penelope was just overestimating her value to Josie? It was just a room, right? She went to turn the doorknob but couldn’t get herself to open it. Whatever was in there, it was for Josie to tell her. If it was something terrible, Penelope didn’t know if she could continue. There was a chance she would find herself lost there forever. Penelope released the doorknob and continued on her way.

She didn’t know how much time had passed and how many dead people she had seen, but she swore she had searched every room in the school to find the real Josie with no success. She was exhausted and getting more and more desperate to find her. She just needed one hint, one little thing to point her in the right direction…

Penelope continued to walk up and down the halls, not willing to give up yet. Her stubbornness paid off when she noticed a door that wasn’t there before--at least Penelope didn’t remember it existing. When she opened it, she saw a staircase leading down into a dark tunnel. Penelope just knew that Josie was down there. This staircase was leading her to the unknown and if there were a maze down there, Penelope didn’t know if she would be able to find her way back.

But she had to try.

Penelope went down the stairs and found herself in some sort of tunnel. It looked like an old mining tunnel of some sort and Penelope realized what it was. It was mentioned in the books here and there but no one actually thought the school had secret tunnels buried beneath it. Penelope made her way through the tunnels until she heard someone whimpering. It was so soft that she almost missed it but she didn’t and it was now her best lead. Still, she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary so she was at a loss of what to do next. Figuring it was her best shot, she called out Josie’s name. 

“Penelope?” It was a hushed voice but Penelope heard it. 

“Josie, where are you?” Penelope couldn’t see her anywhere but she sounded as if she was right beside her. 

One of the walls suddenly disappeared to reveal a small five-year-old Josie hiding in the hole in the wall. Of course, Josie’s coven was famous for their illusion spells. It wasn’t surprising Josie knew it at such a young age.

“Josie?” Penelope asked, her eyes widened with surprise. She definitely did not expect this...

Without warning, Josie jumped out of her hiding spot and ran up to Penelope, giving her the tightest hug a kid like her could manage. Penelope knelt down and hugged her back, wondering what the heck was going on. 

“I’m scared,” Josie whimpered into Penelope’s shoulder. She instinctively knew that she could trust Penelope even though she couldn’t really figure out why nor did she really knew who she was aside from her name.

“It’s okay, I’m here.” Was it awkward being faced with a mini child version of her ex? Definitely. Did it do anything to make Penelope love her any less? Not at all. Penelope tightened her grip on Josie to reassure her that everything was going to be alright. “Come on, we need to get out of here.”

She took Josie’s hand and was about to pull her along but Josie refused to move. “It’s scary out there,” she explained. She pulled her hand away from Penelope, withdrawing and putting some distance between them. She didn’t want to leave. Everything upstairs was too scary. She had found somewhere safe and she refused to leave it. The monsters upstairs couldn’t get to her here. This was the safe hiding spot that daddy had made for her and Lizzie. 

Penelope sighed and knelt back down; babysitting her ex was also something she never expected to do. “I’ll protect you,” Penelope stated, holding out her hand. 

Josie stared at the outstretched hand, hesitant to take it. She had been safe down here so far. What if Penelope couldn’t protect her? Everything upstairs was so dangerous and scary that Josie wasn’t sure it was worth the risk. “No…” she shook her head and backed away. She didn’t want to go upstairs. 

Penelope stared at Josie with desperate eyes. They didn’t have time to waste but she couldn’t just rip Josie from her safe spot. Who knew what kind of psychological damage that would do to her. “Josie,” she held out her hand again, “you are strong enough to face everything up there. I know you are.” 

Josie once again stared at the outstretched hand. Penelope was wrong, she wasn’t that brave. Before Josie could shake her head, Penelope interrupted her, “Do you trust me?” Josie bit her bottom lip and nodded. She did trust Penelope. She didn’t know why but she did. “Then trust me when I say you are strong enough. You’re stronger than me.” Josie’s eyes widened, stunned by the notion that she was anywhere as strong as Penelope was. Penelope was so confident--she wasn’t scared of anything. If Penelope was with her, she didn’t have to be scared either, right?

She nodded and finally took Penelope’s hand. Penelope smiled and immediately pulled Josie along with her. They had to go back up the stairs to where she had first entered to leave. Hope would drag them out and Josie would be back. As they climbed the stairs, the little girl behind her began to grow. Josie was aging up the closer they got to the top and by the time they were back on the main floor, Josie was once again towering over Penelope. “Damn, it was fun being taller while it lasted,” Penelope managed to joke. 

Josie smiled and looked down at their joined hands. She didn’t know how to process this right now but she could figure that out later. For now, they had to leave this place. The moment they reached the exit, Josie’s mind faded and when Penelope opened her eyes, she was back in the small motel room. She nodded at Hope and let go. It was clear that Hope was exhausted and Penelope herself felt like she was ready to collapse but that had to wait. What mattered now was whether it worked or not.

They all stared at Josie with bated breath as they waited for her to open her eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is flying by fastttt. I was supposed to be taking a break and yet I'm already 1/4 done the next chapter. Someone needs to lock me out so that I can take a legit break.


	4. What We Deserve

Seconds felt like hours as they waited for Josie. This was their best hope of doing this process painlessly. If it failed, that meant they would have to torture the feelings out of the twins. Lizzie herself was also watching, wondering if they actually succeeded. She really hoped not. She knew that the second her humanity turned back on, she would be reduced to her old pathetic self. That Lizzie spent all her life trying to control her emotions while making sure not to harm others. Right now, she was freer than she’s even been (minus the physical imprisonment).

When Josie opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was green eyes staring back at her. “Penelope?” Her eyes were still heavy and she was having a hard time trying to process anything. Her brain was scrambled and her body hurt. It felt like she had just woken up from a year-long nap and her body still wanted more sleep.

“Josie…” Penelope had knelt in front of her, her hand resting on Josie’s. She knew she was taking a risk. If Josie wasn’t back to her usual self, she could start siphoning and Penelope didn’t have much magic left to offer. The trip through Josie’s mind took everything out of her and she was sure that just a bit more would kill her. Still, she wasn’t going to let the scared Josie that she had found in the tunnels wake up alone. 

Josie lifted her head up and rested it against the back of the chair. Her eyes were shut tight as her brain went through the process of reconnecting the dots. When it finally did, Josie almost wished it hadn’t. While her eyes were still closed, tears were falling down her face and it didn’t take long before Josie’s breathing became laboured. Image after image of the carnage she had caused flashed through her mind and every one landed right on her chest. She didn’t know if it would be able to hold the weight.

“Josie!” Alaric moved Penelope out of the way and forced his daughter to look at him. Josie’s breathing had quickened to an unsustainable pace and she began to shake in the chair, struggling even as the ropes cut deeper into her skin. “Josie, look at me!” Alaric demanded. Josie managed to open her eyes but all Alaric could see was panic and fear. 

“Breathe, Josie, breathe…” He swiped his thumbs against her cheek and wiped away the tears before hugging her. Josie buried her face into her dad’s shoulder, desperately trying to find comfort in it. Alaric continued to coach Josie through it until her breathing had calmed down. 

While the panic had been dealt with, there was no stopping the pain. Josie sobbed into her dad’s shoulder, repeating, “I’m so sorry,” more times than anyone can count. Penelope and Hope watched as Josie was crushed under the weight of her actions, completely powerless to help her. Penelope thought back to all the rooms she had visited and all the death that they contained. As mean as Penelope could be, she didn’t think she could handle the guilt that Josie was now forced to face.

Lizzie rolled her eyes from the other side of the room. “Pathetic.” Not even five minutes and her sister had already collapsed into a useless mess. The boss wasn’t going to like this and Lizzie questioned why these people were even trying. At the end of the day, all they were doing was torturing her sister. Josie had to keep her humanity off to do what she needed to do and it wasn’t like quitting was an option. There was no stopping Cade. He always got what he wanted and he wanted the Saltzman twins to kill people.

“Hey, Jo,” Lizzie called, knowing her sister could hear her even over all her crying and whimpering. “You can make it all disappear again. It’s not that hard.” Josie froze. All Josie needed to do was give up. They couldn’t make her endure this suffering. That was Josie’s choice and she had already made it once. 

Hope glared at Lizzie and marched right up to her before sticking a vervain filled syringe into her. This was not the time to deal with Lizzie’s snark. They had to take this one at a time and the best way to keep her contained was to keep her unconscious. Tomorrow, when Penelope and Hope had recovered, they could try the same technique on Lizzie. 

Alaric pulled away so that he could see his daughter’s face, scared that she would take her sister’s advice and just turn it off again after all the trouble they had gone through to get her back. Josie was still shaking as she stared down at her hands, blood literally on them. She shut her eyes in an effort to erase the image but doing that only allowed for worse ones to come. “I-I can’t,” she breathed. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t endure this. Lizzie was right. It was so easy to turn it off. It would make all of this go away. 

Penelope could see the thoughts rushing through Josie’s head and placed a hand on Dr. Saltzman’s shoulder to nudge him back. He looked at her with confusion but his own helplessness made way for Penelope’s determination. It would be cruel, perhaps more than it was when she broke up with Josie the first time around. But like all her plans, it was necessary. 

“Josie,” Penelope’s voice was firm, cutting right through Josie’s cries. “You don’t get to do that,” Penelope started. She knelt down to look Josie in the eye. “You don’t get to just run away from your mistakes. You don’t get to pretend those lives you took meant nothing.” That was what it meant when vampires turned off their humanity, right? They got to run away and not worry about the consequences. Penelope took a deep breath, needing her next words to be confident even if she knew it would hurt Josie. “You don’t deserve to run away.” 

Josie froze as she let those words sink in. She was a monster and all this pain she was feeling was well deserved. Penelope was right. She didn’t deserve anything but the torture she was feeling right now. She made the decision to escape and all that did was cause more death and destruction. If only she were strong enough to have held on, many more people would have survived. She would have to deal with the weight of everyone she killed but it would have been restrained. 

Her decision to escape this once had resulted in disastrous consequences and doing it again would be the most selfish thing she could do. That wasn’t her. That wasn’t what her parents raised her to be. 

Josie clenched her fists and screamed. Waves of magic pulsed from her and every fragile item in the room exploded. It wasn’t an unfamiliar sight and they simply watched as Josie exhausted herself and released the pain and anger she felt—completely unrestrained. 

Josie was panting by the time she was done but her tears had stopped and the rush of images had stopped. They would haunt her but now she was too exhausted for them to directly attack her. Penelope waved her hands and the ropes came off, freeing Josie. However, Josie passed out a second later and fell forward, unable to keep herself up. Luckily Hope was quick enough to catch her and she placed Josie on one of the beds. 

They were all exhausted and ready to collapse but before they could even sit down, there was a knock on the door. Penelope sighed. A girl screaming like that probably would catch people’s attention. She turned to Hope. “Unless you want me to tell them that you’re just really loud in bed, you should probably handle this.”

Hope’s lips pressed into a hard line, not sure whether she was impressed that Penelope had the mental energy to come up with simultaneously an excuse and insult or she should be offended that Penelope was making fun of her. “You wish, Penelope.” Hope walked right past her and opened the door, doing what she needed to get the guy off their case. 

Penelope wanted to make a joke about how Josie screaming wasn’t a wish but figured it was incredibly inappropriate with her father in the room. There were some lines she just shouldn’t cross. 

* * *

Although Josie had passed out, her peace didn’t last for long. Nightmare after nightmare flooded into her mind and waking up was the only way to escape them. She stayed in bed for hours, staring at the ceiling and trying to make patterns out of the little dots. It kept her mind preoccupied and it was the only way to avoid the bloodshed that haunted her mind. It didn’t fully work, but it kept her from wanting to rip her own heart out. 

She looked over at the figure in the bed next to hers. She was turned away from her. Josie didn’t know why Penelope was here but she remembered what had happened in her mind when Penelope had entered it. Somehow, even after years of not seeing one another, Josie was still unable to really resist her. Her humanity-less self couldn’t and her subconscious couldn’t either. First loves really were the hardest to forget. Though she supposed in this case, it was a blessing. 

“I can feel you staring,” Penelope suddenly whispered, causing Josie to blush and look away. Thankfully, Penelope wouldn’t be able to see her embarrassment. Penelope always had a habit of being eerily right but tonight it was just because she couldn’t sleep. She was physically and mentally exhausted but Josie’s nightmares were haunting her own. The rooms she had walked into weren’t easily forgotten and she could only imagine how much they were plaguing Josie if they bothered her this much. 

“Why are you here?” Josie asked. It was the first thing she needed to know. Penelope was supposed to be in Belgium. She definitely wasn’t supposed to be helping her father chase her down. 

“An unfortunate relapse,” Penelope stated. It wasn’t her intention to stay. She only intended to drop in before heading right out. When she found out about the twins, she should have left anyway. None of this was her business. She was supposed to have gotten over Josie but it was clear Penelope couldn’t resist Josie either. It would have been one thing if she had left Josie no longer loving her but it was another thing to leave while she was still deeply in love. The latter implied choice. Choice bred both hope and regret. They weren’t broken beyond repair and it took her all her strength to fight her need to repair it. Penelope wasn’t sure if she would ever stop loving Josie. It felt impossible. 

There was no finality for her even though it seemed like there was. Her love for Josie was a lingering thread in the back of her mind and the situation Penelope found Josie in just ripped open everything she had attempted to sew shut. 

“You didn’t have to do all of this… you could have gotten seriously hurt,” Josie argued. Penelope was close to being another notch on her wall of death and that was one thing Josie didn’t know if she could live with. Hurting the ones she loved was her worst fear and while the guilt she felt right now was crushing, it would have been ten times worse if she had hurt someone she really cared about. 

“You would have done the same for me.” Penelope rolled over so that they were face to face. Now was not the time for her to be roundabout and make Josie figure it out for herself. Josie needed support and Penelope had no reason to deny her of it—especially not if that support came from a genuine place. 

“That’s different. That’s just who I am. I would have done it to save people regardless of who they were.” Josie could never neglect someone in need of help. Even if Penelope had broken her heart, she wouldn’t want her to be seriously hurt. Penelope was different though. She cared about herself in the way that Josie always envied. Being selfless was a burden in many ways and Penelope had spent so much time trying to teach her that putting herself first wasn’t selfish. Josie had learned all she could but some of it was just fundamental differences in their personality. 

“Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do. I don’t think I could have walked away even if I wanted to.” And damn did Penelope want to. Her heart couldn’t take any of this. It was fucking painful and she would do anything to get rid of these feelings she had for Josie just so she could find peace. “I may not care about strangers as much as you do but there are things that I care about and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect those things.” Penelope cared about very little but when she did, there was no love that could be deeper. She was both the most selfish person ever and the most selfless. She was a paradox that she had spent a lot of time trying to figure out. At some point, she just accepted it. 

“You don’t have to protect me, you never did.” Josie rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling again. She had a lot of time to think about what Penelope did after she left and while she understood her ex-girlfriend’s intentions, it made her somewhat angry that Penelope had done it. Josie knew that Penelope was manipulative but she didn’t expect her to do that to her. It was a scheme to get Josie to grow and stand on her own two feet but why didn’t Penelope just say that? She didn’t believe in her. She loved her but she didn’t believe in her. Maybe that was the part that hurt the most.

“I didn’t,” Penelope agreed. “But love makes people stupid.”

Josie thought about those words for a few minutes. Not that talking about their relationship was light in any way, but it was a good distraction from everything else she had to think about. It may have only been the only other topic that was heavy enough to hold a candle to everything else. It wasn’t a strong candle, however.

Josie sat up, giving up her facade of trying to sleep. It wasn’t going to happen and Josie didn’t know if it would ever happen again. She leaned against the headboard and pulled her legs to her chest, burying her face into them. She just wanted to shrink and disappear. It would have been the best for everyone. No one needed to suffer with her. Maybe if she stayed still enough, she would rot away. She couldn’t die--not with Cade being on the receiving end with the power to ship her back--but she didn’t want to live either. 

Penelope watched as Josie drowned in her thoughts and sighed. She got up and took the seat next to Josie, her hand brushing lightly against Josie’s cheek to ask her to look up. Josie’s eyes met Penelope’s and she instantly noticed the tears that were in them. “I’m sorry, Jojo,” Penelope whispered. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against Josie’s. She wished there was something she could do to make it all go away. Josie didn’t deserve this. Even though Penelope said that she did, it was only in an effort to keep Josie from running away. But seeing her like this… Penelope was beginning to wonder if she was better off without her humanity. 

“It’s not your fault,” Josie replied, her eyes closing as she relished in the contact. It was so  _ them _ . Something as simple as sharing a light touch was enough to provide some level of comfort. Josie thought about her mind and when she had taken Penelope’s hand. It had been years and yet the trust and familiarity were still there. Josie thought she had moved on but things were just as unsettled on her side as they were on Penelope’s. 

“Is there anything I can do?” Penelope offered. 

Josie shook her head. She was fairly certain no power in the world would get her to stop feeling like this. An eternity of hell waited for her whether she was dead or alive. 

Penelope pulled away but only so that she could properly sit next to Josie before wrapping her arm around Josie’s shoulder. Josie naturally relaxed into her. It wasn’t a solution to the problem but at least she wasn’t alone. Penelope kissed Josie’s head before her mind got to work. She refused to believe that there was no solution to this even if it would take them forever to find it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, sleep-deprived, depressing, middle of the night writing is now my thing...
> 
> As always, thank you for the support!


	5. Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to rollyturtle because when I'm not forcing her to edit my midnight/3AM writing, I'm forcing her to listen to all my headcanons and theories about Posie and Legacies.

“You know, I’m pretty sure this counts as child abuse,” Lizzie mused to her father as he resoaked the ropes in vervain. Her arms were hurting like a bitch but she didn’t want to show any weakness. “Do you guys at least have something I can drink? I’m absolutely parched.” They all knew that Lizzie wasn’t talking about water. It’s been a few days since Josie and Lizzie had properly fed and their bodies weren’t used to being deprived of blood for so long. “There’s some guy cheating on his pregnant wife upstairs. Surely he’s not worth saving, right?” 

“Even without her humanity, Lizzie never shuts up,” Penelope stated, not at all amused. She looked over at Josie, concern on her face. Josie was sat at the corner of the room, her legs once again pulled up to her chest. She hugged them and refused to let go. She was afraid that if she did, she would completely fall apart. Penelope walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Are you sure you’re okay to do this?” Penelope asked.

Considering Hope was their anchor, they couldn’t send her into Lizzie’s mind. Penelope was also not an option considering she was probably the person in this room most likely to convince Lizzie to keep her humanity off by just her presence. That left Josie (which was also why they had saved her first). Although Josie had agreed to do it, they all had their doubts. Lizzie’s demons were Josie’s demons and exposing her to it could make everything worse. 

“We could hold off for a few days--bring her back to the school,” Alaric suggested. As much as he wanted to rescue Lizzie, he was not at all convinced that Josie could do this. Not only was she incredibly mentally vulnerable right now but Alaric could see the impact her lack of feeding was doing to her. Josie was pale and physically weak, but she refused to take the blood bags that were offered to her. 

“I can do this,” Josie reassured, standing up. She swayed a bit and barely caught herself. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. She could do this. She had to do this. She had to rescue her sister, especially when Josie was the one who gave up first. She left her sister alone once and she refused to do it again. Josie opened her eyes and pushed herself off the wall before walking over to her sister.

Alaric began the process by knocking Lizzie out and Hope linked hands with Josie. Josie rested her hand on Lizzie’s shoulder and readied herself. She looked back at Penelope when she felt a hand on her shoulder and furrowed her brows. “You don’t have to…” She was sure that her magic and Hope’s would be enough. Besides, Penelope got about as much rest as Josie did--which was to say none.

Penelope shook her head. “That magic in your body is the only thing keeping you alive. The last thing we need is for you to accidentally use it all.” 

Josie could see there was no arguing with Penelope and nodded her thanks. The areas Penelope and Hope were touching her started to glow. Unlike the last few times, Josie was restrained and kept her siphoning to a minimum in an effort not to hurt either of them. They all spoke the necessary words and Josie was immediately sent into her sister’s mind. 

Much like Josie’s, Lizzie’s mind manifested itself as the Salvatore School. However, instead of being empty, Lizzie was standing right in front of her. “Lizzie?” Josie wasn’t expecting this. Penelope had to search for her. 

“Go away, Josie,” Lizzie demanded. Her arms were crossed and she was blocking Josie from continuing. 

“What’s going on?” Josie asked, utterly confused. This was clearly a legitimate conversation between Lizzie and her but Lizzie was just… there? 

“You need to leave,” Lizzie repeated. 

“I’m taking you with me,” Josie insisted.

“No.” Lizzie flat out refused. Lizzie wasn’t like Josie. She believed that she was a better person with her humanity off. Emotional Lizzie, the one that constantly strived for acceptance, control, and love, was the dangerous one. With intensified emotions, who knew what kind of damage she would cause? Without her emotions, every move was calculated and precise. They weren’t selfish. All her life, Lizzie cared too much about everything and now she was just tired of caring. 

Without her humanity, Lizzie didn’t have to  _ care _ .

Of course, she knew that a part of it was her hiding from her responsibility; she didn’t want to face what she had done. She knew that if she came back, it would destroy her. But Lizzie was already broken and bringing her humanity back wouldn’t fix her. She would never be able to learn the control necessary to live the "good vampire" life. She would mess up--she just knew it. 

Perhaps this was the fix she had been waiting for all along? This was what her medication wanted to accomplish, right? A balance? She had finally found it. There were no more extremes and she could just enjoy life without worrying about anything. 

“Leave, Josie. I’m giving you one last warning. Can’t you see I’m better this way?”

Josie shook her head but before she could speak, a rush of magic hit her and she was purposely shoved out of Lizzie’s mind. When Josie opened her eyes, she was back in the motel room. The first thing she noticed was the strain on Hope and she immediately released her hand. Her movement also prompted Penelope to remove hers and she fell onto her knees, clutching her hand in pain.

“What happened?” Josie asked, kneeling down to meet Penelope. She was about to reach out but Penelope flinched. Josie’s heart dropped as quickly as her hand did when she realized that Penelope was scared of her. “W-What did I do?” 

“Nothing,” Penelope tried to reassure. 

“Yeah, we are probably still tired from yesterday,” Hope piped in. Neither of them wanted Josie to worry. 

“What did I do?” Josie repeated, her eyes immediately turning red as her anger flared. She didn’t know who she was angrier at: them for lying to her or herself for clearly having hurt them and being angry in the first place. 

Penelope once again flinched, finding it impossible not to be scared of Josie when she was feeling this weak and Josie looked that angry. Her eyes widened when she saw the hurt that immediately flashed in Josie’s eyes. 

Alaric placed a hand on Josie’s shoulder. “Honey, they are fine. You just took a bit more magic than they expected. Your body was probably instinctively trying to protect itself. You haven’t consumed anything in days.” He hoped that it would be a good enough explanation for her daughter. Josie wasn’t consciously doing it. Vampires sometimes reacted out of pure instinct. 

“I-I hurt you?” Before anyone could say anything, Josie had disappeared.

“Fuck!” Penelope swore, immediately getting up. “We need to follow her.”

Hope shook her head. “I’ll follow her, you need to rest.” 

“Like hell I--” Penelope didn’t get to finish her sentence before Hope disappeared too. 

Penelope clenched her fists and let out a little frustrated scream. Why were vampires so damn infuriating?

It didn’t take Hope long to track Josie down. She had jumped onto the roof of the establishment and once again was curled into herself. Her entire body was shaking with sobs, causing Hope to soften. She took a seat next to Josie and nudged her. “Hey, it’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Hope reassured.

“I hurt you. I hurt both of you,” Josie breathed, not at all believing Hope. 

“You haven’t mastered control yet. All new vampires go through this,” Hope explained. Josie was basically forced to turn her humanity off soon after transitioning so she never had a chance to learn control. She was allowed to feast and take as much as she wanted. No one expected Josie to be perfect.

Josie clutched her head and let out a scream. Her emotions were everywhere and she just wanted it all to stop. Penelope was scared of her. She was so monstrous that even Penelope was scared of her. She was doing everything wrong and making everything worse. She really was better off dying. Then she couldn’t hurt anyone anymore. 

Hope cupped Josie’s cheeks and forced her to look her in the eye. “Calm down,” Hope ordered. 

Almost immediately, her heartbeat started to slow down, her entire body relaxing. Josie wasn’t resisting her compulsion so the words sank in. They wouldn’t be effective for very long but at least it stopped Josie from spiralling. “What do I do, Hope?” Josie pleaded, needing an answer.

“You need to accept you’re a vampire now and you need to control it.” It would be difficult and Josie was starting a hundred steps behind but Hope had faith in her. They all knew that Josie could be better. “Your mom can teach you,” Hope stated. Caroline was a master at teaching control and Josie would work harder to learn it if her mother was teaching it. “She’s actually on her way.”

Josie bit her bottom lip and nodded.

“Now let's get back down there. We left two humans alone with Lizzie.” As soon as that fact sunk in, they both zipped back into the rooms. Penelope was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard. She had a juice box in her hand, needing to recuperate some of the energy she had lost. 

Josie took a seat at the edge of the bed, keeping her distance. She wasn’t able to meet Penelope’s eyes. “I’m sorry.”

Penelope crawled forward so she could take Josie’s hand. “I forgive you.” Josie looked down at their hands, wondering how Penelope could stand to touch her after she had hurt and scared her so much. As if reading Josie’s thoughts, Penelope answered, “I trust you.” 

Not missing a pulse, Josie replied, “You shouldn’t.” Penelope frowned but Josie had already pulled her hand away and found herself in the corner once again. If she needed to exist, it was going to be in a corner, holding herself so that she couldn’t cause any more pain. 

All of them wanted to know what happened in Lizzie’s mind but none of them needed to know so badly to bother Josie. If she needed a moment, they would give it to her. 

That moment turned into hours and Josie hadn’t realized she had fallen asleep. Her dreams were still haunted by nightmares but she was so exhausted that she couldn’t pull out of them. 

When she finally opened her eyes, they were no longer in the motel room. Instead, she was in a comfortable bed surrounded by the smells that were most familiar with her. She looked around and realized that she was back in her old bedroom at Salvator. 

“Hey sleepyhead,” Caroline greeted, a gentle smile on her face.

“Mom!” Josie jumped up and hugged her mother. Caroline hugged her tightly in return and placed a few kisses on her daughter. She was finally home after more than a year and Caroline didn’t think she had ever felt happier in her life. Her girls were home. Tears flowed out of both their eyes and they held each other for as long as they could. 

When they finally pulled away, Caroline swiped away Josie’s tears. “I’ve missed you so much.”

Josie bowed her head, unable to meet her mother’s eyes. She had done so many terrible things that she could barely believe Caroline still loved her. She was a monster. She betrayed everything her parents had taught her and definitely didn’t live up to her namesake. Josie was ashamed.

Caroline knew how Josie was feeling, remembering the time when she had turned off her humanity. The pain was unbearable and made it tempting to immediately turn it back off. But what mattered was that Josie didn’t. Josie probably didn’t think she was strong but that willpower to stay humane was enough to prove to Caroline that her daughter was strong and still the girl she had loved and raised. 

As much as she wished they could avoid the topic, they needed to know something. “Josie,” Caroline started. Josie looked up. “We need to know what happened in Lizzie’s mind, sweetheart. Do you remember?” Lizzie refused to tell them so they had her locked down in one of the cells, still drying out. It hurt to torture her daughter like that, but it was necessary to keep her restrained.

“She pushed me out.” Josie looked down at her hands, feeling like a failure once again. She couldn’t even save Lizzie. “Lizzie… she didn’t want to come back. She just kept telling me to leave. She mentioned something about being better this way.” 

Josie didn’t understand what it meant but Caroline was able to connect the dots. The full picture was more depressing than it already was. How could Lizzie feel that somehow she was better without her humanity? Without everything that made her who she was? Had her and Alaric failed their children that badly? She knew they had failed them but it was much worse than she expected. 

“Thank you, sweetie. Why don’t you rest a bit more? We can work on your control once you feel better.” Caroline reached downwards and handed Josie a blood bag. Josie needed to feed. Control would be so much harder if she were desperate and starving. 

Josie’s eyes widened. “I can’t…” 

Caroline’s eyes softened. “You need to try.” They had considered giving her some of the animal blood but knew that going cold turkey was not the way to do things. Josie would be faced with blood eventually and needed to be able to resist that. Besides, her body needed to recover after days of exhausting it. 

Josie pushed the bag away. “No.” 

Caroline sighed, she wasn’t going to force Josie to do something she didn’t want. But that definitely meant that they couldn’t leave Josie alone. Any little thing could trigger a bloodthirsty rampage and they still had other students to protect. “Hope is going to room with you until you feel better, okay?”

Josie nodded. She didn’t need her mother to explain. It was to rightfully contain her.

* * *

Hope and Josie had been sitting in silence for a few hours. Hope had been reading and Josie had earphones in, trying desperately to fill her mind with things that didn’t make her think of blood. But the thought kept coming back to her. Her throat was scratchy and she knew she wouldn’t last long if she kept starving herself like this. But she just couldn’t get herself to feed. The thought disgusted her and reminded her of all the terrible things she had done to feed. 

Both of them looked up when there was a knock on the door. Penelope stepped into the room a second later. Penelope had had time to rest and recover so she looked a lot better and like her normal self. 

“Do you guys need a moment?” Hope asked, not wanting to be an awkward third wheel in whatever this was. Not that they were together or anything but Penelope and Josie always looked in their own world when they were together and it was just awkward sitting around as they were. 

Penelope looked over at Hope and nodded. Hope hopped off the bed and closed the door behind her.

“Jojo…” Penelope walked over to Josie’s bed and sat on the edge of it. There were dark bags under her eyes, her skin was nearly grey, and she looked like she was at death’s door. “You need to feed.” She had heard from Josie’s parents that she had been refusing and it was worrying them both. 

“Why are you still here?” Josie asked. She was home now. Penelope didn’t have to worry. 

“I’m not going to leave you,” Penelope explained. She couldn’t leave Josie like this. Josie needed a friend and Penelope could be that. “Just let me help?” Penelope’s eyes were pleading. Even if Josie forced her out, Josie would be the only thought on her mind and Penelope hated being helpless. 

Josie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was the wrong move because the moment she did, Penelope’s sweet perfume hit her nose and reminded her of all the times they had been together and just how much she loved her scent. It would have been fine if that were it but there were the added scents that her nose couldn’t pick up before. She felt her throat go dryer. “You need to leave, Penelope.” 

Although Josie’s eyes were closed, she could see the vampire veins that pulsed around her eyes. Josie was so thirsty that even her presence was tempting her. She looked down at Josie’s hands. They were clenched into fists and shaking. Josie was doing all she could to control herself. 

“I’m not going anywhere until you agree to feed,” Penelope stated. She wanted to respect Josie’s wishes but now was a time to out-stubborn her ex. Josie was basically starving herself to death and the only reason she wanted her to leave was so she could do just that. Penelope wouldn’t accept that reason.

Instead, she grabbed Josie’s clenched hand with her own. Penelope knew that it was dangerous to stay but it was also an opportunity to get what she wanted. Unfortunately, Penelope was always a risk-taker when it came to Josie. She sat beside Josie and kissed her cheek.

“What are you--” Josie was cut off when Penelope’s lips met her own. It was wrong, she knew it was. This wasn’t what they were anymore but Josie couldn’t resist it. Everything about Penelope was pulling her in and her enhanced emotions only made her want it more. 

If only she knew which emotions they were...

Penelope deepened the kiss and forced Josie’s legs down so that she could straddle her. When she pulled away from the kiss, she could see the lust in Josie’s eyes. “Penelope, we can’t… I’ll hurt you.” Josie bit her lip until it was bleeding, doing everything in her power to stay still. 

Penelope shook her head. She had done this once for Josie’s sake, she could do it again. “I trust you.” She had hurt Josie earlier by flinching away from her and now she was determined to make it up to her by proving to her just how much she trusted her. Vampires were easier to tempt when they were turned on.

“Trust me.” Penelope leaned in for another kiss and Josie responded. Her mind continued to scream that it was a bad idea but her body moved on its own accord. She deepened the kiss and her eyes began to pulse again. When her fangs extended, she pulled away. Penelope met Josie’s eyes and rubbed her thumb against her jawline. “Do it.” Penelope’s hair had grown since they broke up but when she brushed it away and revealed her neck, Josie knew exactly what she meant.

Josie’s eyes attached to the sight of Penelope’s neck, the smooth skin drawing her in. Between her lust and blood lust, there was no resisting. Within a flash, Josie was at Penelope’s neck, her fangs breaking the skin. Penelope hissed in pain but didn’t move, letting Josie drink. Josie held her tight and hungrily consumed the blood that was flowing into her mouth. Josie was no longer in control as she drank. The only thing on her mind was how delicious Penelope tasted and how much she wanted more. 

Nothing else mattered.

Penelope let Josie stay for as long as she could but the moment her head started to feel dizzy, she pressed her hand against Josie’s head and sent a wave of pain into Josie’s head, immediately getting her to stop and pull away. Josie clutched her head, screaming as the aneurysms exploded in her head, and fell back onto the bed. Penelope only stopped when it was clear Josie was shocked out of her blood lust. “Sorry,” Penelope apologized.

Josie opened her eyes before shaking her head. “No, that’s good.” What Penelope did worked; it stopped her. Josie was ashamed she didn’t even notice Penelope’s heartbeat weakening, too consumed in her blood lust. “I should be the one apologizing, I got carried away.” Josie closed her eyes again and rubbed her temples, willing the aftershocks of the attack away.

Penelope pressed her hand against the bite mark and muttered a small spell, repairing the skin Josie had ripped through. “Do you feel better?”

Josie met Penelope’s eyes. She licked her lips. As much as she hated it, she did feel better so she nodded.

Penelope smiled, pleased with herself. “Have a good night, Josie.” Penelope climbed off her and Josie could only watch as Penelope left the room, completely confused by what had just happened. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments!
> 
> Feel free to reach out to me at sheraofpower on Tumblr :) I'm always open to discussion!


	6. Remembering to Smile

“You did what?!” Caroline practically yelled when Penelope had confessed to what she did. It was the next day and Josie was looking a whole lot more energetic. There was really no hiding the fact that Josie had been fed and Penelope wasn’t ashamed of her actions. Caroline pinched the bridge of her nose. “You could have gotten seriously injured, Penelope.”

“Look, I’m fine. It was a success.” Penelope knew the risks going into it but she was fairly certain everything would be fine. She wasn’t a helpless love-sick idiot (in this instance) and knew she could force Josie off if she went too far. She looked over at Josie and gave her a wink, causing Josie to blush in response. It definitely worked but Josie was not at all interested in sharing how they even got to that point.

Caroline sighed. She didn’t need to know the details. Caroline never particularly liked Penelope because of how scheming and arrogant she was but Penelope seemed to understand Josie and had the heart to do what is needed, even if it wasn’t the most gentle way to handle the situation. Penelope had done nothing but help so far so she couldn’t kick her away. They needed witches and Penelope was a strong one who seemed fully committed to Josie’s well-being. Penelope loved Josie (everyone could see it) and it served their purposes regardless of whether she or Alaric felt comfortable about using the girl. 

They all continued their way down the stairs towards the cells. Lizzie was lying on the bed, staring up at the dirty ceiling. She looked worse than Josie did last night. Lizzie was absolutely starving and knew she wouldn’t be conscious for much longer if they continued to starve her like this. Maybe that was the plan? Lizzie didn’t know but she also couldn’t find it in herself to really care. It was annoying, sure, but her life meant as little to her as everyone else’s. 

“Is it time for round two?” Lizzie asked. She didn’t bother to look at anyone except Josie. When she saw her sister, she smiled. “Well, look at you!” Josie was back to her usual self, donning the same curls and sweaters that once defined her appearance. Most importantly, there was a flush in her cheeks the told Lizzie that she had been fed. “Did they feed you that gross animal stuff?” Lizzie asked.

Josie shook her head and briefly glanced at Penelope, who seemed completely undisturbed by the conversation. 

Caroline stepped in front of the two girls so that she could interrupt Lizzie’s line of sight. “We have a deal for you.”

Lizzie sat up, her brow raised in interest. “If it has anything to do with me turning my humanity back on, you can shove it… mommy.” Lizzie gave her a fake smile.

Caroline shook her head. “We can’t force you to turn your humanity back on if you don’t want to. If you are happy this way, I won’t force the matter.” Caroline knew that it wasn’t worth the battle. They already had Josie who was struggling so much that they couldn’t afford another volatile daughter. If this kept Lizzie sane, they would just accept it for now. If her daughter was anything like her, she was too smart and would only make it harder the more they pushed.

They had something else to worry about.

“But I like to think our interests are aligned.”

Lizzie raised her brow, curious to see what they had in common. 

“I doubt you enjoy being enslaved to Cade. Why don’t we work together to get rid of him?” Caroline offered. 

Lizzie approached the cell door. “I’m listening.” She wasn’t a huge fan of her boss and cared very little about loyalty. They all knew that Cade ruled by fear which meant that everyone wanted to tear him down. That included Lizzie and Josie even while they were working for him. They were grateful he empowered them and pushed them to become the best versions of themselves but gratitude only went so far. Being someone’s slave for all eternity grows old very fast.

“No one needs two vampires running around causing massacres. You would have your freedom to do whatever you want if we get rid of him.” She believed that the offer was enticing enough. “The only condition is that you do things our way or the deal is off.” 

Lizzie rolled her eyes. She knew that ‘their’ way meant the boring way and that just made everything less interesting. Still, she was tired of being locked in a cell and starved so what choice did she really have? It was better to work towards something, with a few limitations, than stubbornly hold out for no cause at all. She technically could also sit back and let them all get themselves killed but she didn’t trust their competence. It would suck if they were close and just needed an extra boost and she wasn’t there to provide for them. “Deal.” 

Satisfied, Caroline pulled out a blood bag and tossed it over to Lizzie. There was no way they could fully trust Lizzie but vampires without their humanity weren’t mean for the sake of being mean—they just didn’t care who they hurt. As long as they kept her entertained, there should be no problem. “Honey, can you go get your dad? He and I can take it from here.”

Josie nodded and gave her sister one last glance before heading back upstairs, Penelope in tow. The school was out for summer break so it wasn’t packed with students but there were still a few people around. Most of them didn’t have a home to go home to and the school was more than happy to provide it to them. Josie kept her head bowed as they walked through the hallways. Last she recalled, her dad was outside training with Hope.

Penelope had to speed to keep up with Josie, grabbing her hand in order to slow her down a bit. “Are you okay?” Penelope asked. “You haven’t really said anything all morning.”

Josie bit her lip and nodded. “I’m fine.” It was weird being back in these halls. It was her home but she didn’t feel like she belonged here. This school’s mission was to train young supernaturals to be good people and Josie had disastrously failed. She didn’t belong here anymore and she couldn’t help but think everyone else probably agreed.

Penelope suddenly stopped, getting Josie to stop as well. “You can talk to me, Jojo. You know I won’t judge you.” 

Josie met Penelope’s eyes and they stood there for a few seconds before Josie nodded. “Sorry. I just… I don’t feel like I should be here.” 

Satisfied with Josie’s confession, Penelope continued talking. “If you don’t belong here, I don’t know who does. You love this school, Jojo.” Her parents practically built the school for the twins. There was no reason why she shouldn’t feel at home. “You can’t keep blaming yourself. It wasn’t your fault. Cade forced you.” Penelope wished there was something she could do to convince Josie of that. The real Josie was the one standing before her, completely controlled and too weighed down by her conscience. 

“I wasn’t strong enough to resist, Penelope. That’s my fault.” Josie pulled her hand away and sped forward, not wanting to continue the conversation. She couldn’t convince Penelope but Penelope couldn’t convince her either so she didn’t feel the need for them to waste their breath.

“Dad!” Josie called, spotting him and Hope by the lake. “Mom says she needs you downstairs.”

Alaric dropped his sticks and nodded. 

“Do you need me to come along, Dr. Saltzman?” Hope offered.

Alaric shook his head. “We’ll be fine.” He walked over to Josie and gave her a small kiss on her forehead before heading back inside.

Josie walked up to where Hope was standing and picked up the sticks, casually twirling them in her hands. “Mind if I join?” Josie had nothing better to do and working out felt like a better way to spend her time than sit around moping over her own failures.

Hope raised a brow and nodded, getting into position.

Penelope happily took a seat on the grass and watched as the two vampires duked it out. Their speed was beyond what Penelope’s human eyes could process but she could tell that Josie was holding her own. She didn’t remember Alaric ever spending time with the twins doing this (in fact, Josie had complained about it once) but it was clear that Josie knew exactly what she was doing right now. It was pretty hot.

After a minute or so of being flashing blurs, the two of them finally broke apart. Hope was smiling and so was Josie. They were enjoying themselves and Penelope swore that it was the first time she had seen Josie smile since she had turned her humanity back on. Was she a bit jealous that Hope was the cause? Mildly. But she was happy that Josie seemed to be getting into it and not thinking about her regrets for once.

Josie pulled off her sweater and tossed it to the side, leaving both girls in their sports bras and Penelope with a lovely view. Not that Josie hadn’t always been gorgeous but her newfound muscles (which had been hidden until now) made Penelope feel ten times more gay. She was beginning to see why vampires were so popular in pop culture. 

The two of them continued to spar until Josie pulled back, her breathing heavy from the workout.

Penelope went over to the nearby bench and fetched them both towels and a bottle of water before passing them over to the two vampires. 

“Thanks.” Josie smiled and Penelope was practically swooning at the sight. Nothing was more beautiful than Josie’s smile and she hadn’t seen it in so long that her immunity to it had all but disappeared.

“Where’d you learn all of that?” Hope asked, actually tired for once. Josie put up a good fight. Alaric was fine and all but he was human and Hope always had to hold back with him.

“The Salvatore brothers and others were forced to train us,” Josie replied, her voice low. She didn’t want to leave Hope hanging but the answer was less than pleasant. “No point in having two heretics when they could be ripped apart by any vampire that came their way, right?” Their magic could only do so much against older and more experienced vampires. 

“Sorry,” Hope apologized, not meaning to bring up the topic. She should have been able to guess.

“It’s okay.” 

“I have some tours I need to give for potential students, do you want to join me?” Hope asked. Ever since the twins left, she had basically taken over for them. Frankly, Hope had nothing better to do so she was more than happy to help the headmasters where she could. She had eternity ahead of her so it wasn’t like it was ever possible to waste her time.

“I think I’m just going to go back to my room,” Josie answered. “Thanks though.” She grabbed her discarded sweater and gave Hope a small smile before heading back inside. 

Penelope and Hope exchanged shrugs before Penelope followed Josie. She was tasked to keep an eye on her today since she didn’t actually have anything to do at the school… or at all, really. This was her summer break before heading off to college and her parents didn’t really care what she was up to. 

When they got back to Josie’s room, Josie put on her earphones and collapsed onto her bed. Penelope took a seat on the other bed and watched as Josie lay there, completely still. Her front was turned away from her so Penelope couldn’t read what was going on in her mind. It worried her that Josie was so silent. It was far too easy for Josie to get caught up in her own mind and that usually never led anywhere positive. 

Sighing, Penelope got off the bed and joined Josie in hers. She nudged Josie a bit and got her to move over before lying next to her. She grabbed Josie’s laptop and took Josie’s hand so she could access it. Josie turned over in curiosity and watched as Penelope opened up Netflix. Penelope turned to Josie and pulled out her earphones. “Come on, we’re going to Netflix and chill,” she teased. 

She managed to get a small smile from Josie. “Are you implying something?”

“Yes, I totally intend to get into your pants.” Penelope gave Josie a wink and Josie giggled, snuggling into Penelope. A movie seemed like a good idea and when Penelope pulled up her favourite feel-good, Josie instantly relaxed and found herself falling back into their old routine. There were a lot of unresolved emotions and questions between them but it didn’t feel as if they needed to solve them right now. Penelope was giving Josie the luxury of not caring and Josie needed it too much to ruin it.

An hour into the movie, Josie fell asleep and Penelope closed the laptop, gently placing it back onto the nightstand. She got herself more comfortable and simply laid there, staring at Josie who was nuzzled against her. At first, everything seemed fine and Josie’s sleep seemed peaceful, but eventually, a frown appeared on Josie’s face. Her body began to jerk slightly, as if fending off something. Penelope didn’t want her to get too caught into her nightmare so she gently shook Josie awake.

Josie’s eyes snapped open and it took her a second to realize that she was at home and in Penelope’s arms. “I fell asleep?” Josie asked.

Penelope hadn’t felt it until now but when Josie moved her hand away to rub her eyes, Penelope winced slightly. Noticing Penelope’s reaction, Josie’s eyes narrowed. Without warning, she pushed Penelope’s shirt up. “Whoa, skipping the foreplay?” Penelope tried to joke but Josie ignored her and found the little bruise that had formed against Penelope’s ribs.

“Did I do that?” 

“It’s fine, Josie. You were having a nightmare.” 

Josie frowned. That was not fine. She couldn’t even share a bed with Penelope without hurting her. What if she had gone into a full panic and done worse? Josie immediately pulled away. “We shouldn’t do that anymore. I’ll be okay.” 

Penelope tried to reach out to reassure Josie but she avoided her touch, choosing to get off the bed completely. “I-I need to go to the bathroom,” Josie stuttered, disappearing into the adjacent room and shutting it behind her. 

Penelope sighed and pulled herself up. It really wasn’t a big deal but how could she convince Josie of that? Wasn’t last night enough to prove to her that Penelope trusted her? She wasn’t scared so Josie had no reason to be either. But she also couldn’t push Josie, not on something small like this…

Penelope groaned and fell back onto the bed. Why was life so complicated when she was around Josie?

In the bathroom, Josie had turned on the sink so Penelope couldn’t hear it crack as she held on tightly to the edge. Tears were running down Josie’s face, her self-hate growing by the second. She really couldn’t stop hurting people. Even in her sleep, she was hurting people. If that was her relaxed, she was terrified of what she would do when she wasn’t. With magic constantly flowing through her, she knew that it was only a matter of time before her panicked dreams caused her to lose control of it. 

She couldn’t be trusted in this mental state.

Penelope waited in Josie’s room for her to return but when it seemed like the sink had been on for too long, she walked over to the door and knocked. “Are you okay, Jojo?”

The door opened a second later. As much as Josie tried to hide it, Penelope could immediately tell that she had been crying. “Jojo…”

“I’m sorry, Penelope,” Josie apologizes, her head once again bowed in shame. 

Penelope cupped Josie’s face and forced her to meet her eyes. “Don’t be sorry, everything is fine. I’m completely fine.” Penelope smiled. “It was a mistake. I know you’d never hurt me on purpose. Besides, I’m not as helpless as you think.” Penelope wasn’t a vampire but she could still be offended that Josie thought she wouldn’t be able to fend off Josie if she really needed to. 

Josie still didn’t seem convinced so Penelope sighed. “You know you’re a vampire now, right?” Josie blinked. How could she forget? “That means your blood can heal. It’s a quick fix to anything you could possibly do to me.” It was a weak point but any argument on the positive was worth giving. 

Penelope was right about it being a weak argument because Josie was flabbergasted that Penelope even though it was one. 

As if to make her point, Penelope leaned up and kissed Josie again, catching her by surprise. Instead of their usual kiss, however, Penelope wasn’t afraid to be rough and bit Josie’s lip, drawing blood. Josie’s eyes widened and she pulled away. Penelope simply licked her lips. She slowly unbuttoned her shirt, causing Josie’s eyes to widen. Penelope took Josie’s hand and rested it against her rib, the area Josie had just bruised. With a long press and an unflinching reaction, Penelope proved her point. She was as good as new. There wasn’t a single mark there. 

“If you hurt me, you can totally make it up to me.”

Penelope was so earnest in trying to convince Josie and build her confidence that Josie found it hard not to feel the love she had thought she’d gotten over rising in her chest. Penelope really trusted her and cared so much that she wasn’t even remotely scared. She was less scared of Josie than Josie was of herself. She believed in her when Josie couldn’t believe in herself—just like when she had entered her mind. 

With all the feelings bursting in her chest, Josie could no longer resist the draw. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, once again soaking her nose in Penelope’s scent. When her eyes opened, they were darker and she leaned down for a kiss. It caught Penelope by surprise but she didn’t fight it off. When she felt Josie’s arms wrap around her and lift her up, Penelope wrapped her legs around Josie. Penelope had barely noticed they had moved when she felt her back hit the bed, Josie on top of her. 

Josie pulled away, nothing but hunger in her eyes. It wasn’t like yesterday though. She didn’t desire Penelope’s blood more than she desired everything else. The intense stare Josie was giving her made a shiver run up Penelope’s spine. Josie caught her lips once again and didn’t leave them until Penelope was left breathless. 

Josie dragged her lips down Penelope’s jaw and when she reached her neck, she took in a deep breath, bathing herself in Penelope. Unable to control it, her fangs began to peek out of her lips but instead of breaking into Penelope’s skin, she simply dragged it along her neck, causing Penelope to tense but also moan at the anticipation of it all. 

Josie craved what laid beneath Penelope’s skin but she was so overwhelmed by her feelings that Penelope came first. She didn’t want to hurt her, nor did she ever want to drink from her without her permission. Instead, she was able to tear herself away and reattach their lips. 

Penelope’s fingers dug into Josie’s back, causing Josie to gasp into her mouth. Penelope took the chance to slip her tongue past Josie’s lips and explore her mouth. Her fangs were still extended and they were a strange addition but Penelope didn’t mind. 

The two of them kissed for what felt like forever. Josie was once again addicted to Penelope. The feel of her warm body beneath her, the overwhelmingly sweet scent that flooded her nose, the soft whimpers and moans that sent excited waves right down to Josie’s core—all of it was too much. Josie didn’t want it to ever stop. 

Her lips began to glow, absorbing the magic beneath her. It was soft and warm, gentle but consuming. The rush hit every cell in her body and only lasted brief enough for Penelope to experience the new sensation. It took her breath away but it didn’t hurt. Penelope felt more connected to Josie in that moment than she had felt from their kiss so far. She could feel the absolute want that radiated from her and Penelope could never deny her. 

“Girls, are you—oh my god!” Caroline immediately turned away, a bright blush on her cheeks. This was the moment every mother dreaded; the day she would catch her daughter in a very compromising and clearly suggestive position. She expected Lizzie to be first but… frankly, she wasn’t surprised it was Josie. “I’m going to wait outside. You two… cool down and come out when you’re ready…” Without looking back, Caroline rushed out of the room. 

Penelope and Josie stared at each other, completely befuddled. Josie looked absolutely mortified but it was so cute that Penelope burst into laughter. Josie pouted and buried her face into Penelope’s chest. “It’s not funny!” 

“It’s pretty fucking funny.” Penelope continued to laugh, making it hard for Josie to maintain her pout. Eventually, Penelope’s amusement spread and Josie burst out into laughter as well. 

From the other side of the door, Caroline smiled. She still wasn’t sure whether she liked Penelope much but Josie was laughing and that was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have some good news for you all and some bad news for myself. I have decided to extend the length of this fic because everyone seems to be enjoying it so much. 
> 
> Clearly, I am unable to write a short multi-chapter fic for my life.


	7. Game Plan

“You all look as though you’ve seen a ghost,” Lizzie commented, casually sucking on a blood bag as they all sat in Alaric’s office. They had finally released her after the deal was made and everyone was just waiting for the love birds to join them. Lizzie’s eyes moved over to Hope, who was refusing to look at her. It must have been hard for her ex-girlfriend. She was probably expecting a heartfelt reunion. Unfortunately for her, this Lizzie was here to stay. This Lizzie, however, had no objections to sex though. Hope was still as hot as ever and physical attraction didn’t change just because she had no heart to fuel it with.

Everyone looked over at the door when Josie and Penelope finally arrived in the room. Their faces were slightly red and the puffiness of Penelope’s lips made it insanely obvious what they were just up to. Lizzie sped over to her sister and wrapped an arm around her sister’s shoulders, pulling her into the room. Josie was visibly uncomfortable but Lizzie’s grip on her was tight. “Instead of spending time with your incarcerated sister, you decided to go get laid. That’s heartless, sis,” Lizzie teased, a hand against her heart as if she were actually hurt.

Before Josie could respond, Lizzie screamed and gripped her head in pain, inadvertently letting Josie go. Everyone’s eyes flew to Penelope, including Lizzie’s, and she rushed towards Penelope, slamming her against the door, her hand at her neck. “Bitch!” 

Lizzie was suddenly ripped away from Penelope and sent towards the other side of the room. Penelope’s eyes met Josie’s whose hands were glowing. “Leave her alone,” Josie warned. Lizzie could mess with her all she wanted but Penelope was off-limits

“Girls!” Caroline screamed, stepping between them and holding her hands out. She couldn’t remember the last time she had to stand in between a physical altercation between her daughters but she didn’t like it one bit. “If we are going to defeat Cade, you all need to know how to work together.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes and straightened herself up. “You should listen to her, Josie. Wouldn’t want to get grounded.” God, all of this was so damn annoying. Putting up with Cade was almost worth it to get her away from all these emotional idiots.

Penelope walked up to Josie and took her hand, not at all shy about how affectionate it looked. Josie took a seat on her dad’s desk and protectively pulled Penelope into her arms. She wasn’t going to lose her, not when they seemed to finally be on the same wavelength. Their sudden closeness didn’t really catch anyone by surprise so everyone else simply ignored it.

Alaric cleared his throat. “We have a weapon that can kill Cade,” he started. “We had never been able to use it until now because we had no physical way of getting to him. He also linked his life to the twins so we couldn’t attack.” His eyes flicked between both of his daughters. Lizzie didn’t seem amused and Josie seemed pensive, her eyes averted to the ground. She clearly didn’t want to be here. 

Seeing Alaric’s struggle, Hope stepped forward. “My family knows a few unlinking spells that can sever the connection so we won’t have to worry about the twins going down with him.” Hope finally looked at Lizzie. While the affection wasn’t obvious, it was there. She didn’t want to hurt her. Both Penelope and Hope understood that sometimes hurting the ones they loved was necessary to accomplish what they needed to but neither of them would ever seriously put the twins’ lives in danger. Lizzie had to at least know that, as pathetic as it must have seemed to her.

“We need you and Josie to summon Cade in a form where we can kill him.” 

Lizzie hummed in thought. They had their usual way of summoning his spirit but he was basically invulnerable in that form. Any other time he needed to contact them, he simply pulled them into his realm. That didn’t mean that the Devil couldn’t be returned to earth, however. With enough prodding, Lizzie was certain that she could get an answer out of him. For all his evil, he wasn’t completely heartless. After Josie and Lizzie had graduated from murder school, he had actually grown quite affectionate towards them, as if they were his own daughters. He didn’t care about them, but he was entertained by them enough to answer their childish questions. “We can do that.”

Lizzie looked over at Josie. “There’s one problem though…” Lizzie didn’t have to say it for Josie to know exactly what the problem was. “There’s no way Josie can fool him into thinking she’s still her old murderous self,” Lizzie explained, pointing directly at her sister. “She’d give it away.” Her sister was weak right now. Anyone with eyes could immediately see the guilt and sadness she was carrying on her shoulders. 

Josie tensed, causing Penelope to look up at her. 

Lizzie shook her head. “See? She would get us both killed if she keeps acting like that.” There was really only one answer but she knew that if she were to toss it out, everyone in the room would object to it. She could let them handle it amongst themselves. She casually strolled towards her father’s hidden liquor cabinet and pulled out one of his bottles. She needed a drink and she doubted her parents were going to stop her. 

Lizzie sat behind Alaric’s desk and rested her feet on it. “It’s your call, sis. You know he’s too observant and you’re too… you.” 

“There has to be another way,” Caroline interrupted. Josie was already suffering enough. There was no way they would make her do something as horrible as returning to the state where all her regrets and fears came to life. 

Josie continued to stare at the ground, ignoring the arguing that erupted around her. Lizzie was right. Josie couldn’t fool anyone into thinking she was capable of being the vampire she was let alone Cade. The only way she could act the part was being the part. 

She had to turn her humanity back off for this to work.

“Josie,” Penelope whispered. She turned around and cupped her cheek, forcing Josie to meet her eyes. “You don’t have to do this. We can figure out another way.” 

Tears were already rolling down Josie’s cheeks and she shook her head. There was no other way. Only Cade was old enough to know how to summon himself back to earth and he had to trust her and Lizzie to tell them how to accomplish it. Not only did he have to tell them, but he also had to trust them enough to want to leave himself that vulnerable. “I’ll do it.” The words barely came out as a whisper but everyone heard it. 

“Josie…”

“There’s no other way,” Josie stated. Lizzie was right. The way she was right now was a problem. Josie was the weak link that would make everything fall apart. She couldn’t afford to be this weak when going up against Cade. “I…I just need time,” she added. She couldn’t do it, not right now. She needed to work up to it. 

Lizzie sighed from her seat. “You can take all the time you want, Jo, but that means Hope and I have some work to do.” Hope turned around and raised her brow. Work to do? “Josie and I have been slacking for a few days. I’m sure Cade is getting suspicious. The more time Josie wastes moping around, the fewer souls we are sending to him. He’s not going to be happy and will eventually summon us to see what’s happening.” It was simple, really. They needed to continue killing so that Cade wouldn’t suspect a thing. “Look, if it makes you feel better, babe,” Lizzie winked at Hope, “We can even go after bad guys, you know, the people who deserve it.”

“Thanks,” Hope deadpanned, as if it made her feel any better. Josie was in no condition to do it. Caroline didn’t have the heart to kill and Alaric wouldn’t be strong enough. Penelope… Well, Penelope and Lizzie would probably kill each other instead of killing the people they should be so it really only left her. Hope wasn’t a monster but she definitely wasn’t innocent either. She knew what needed to be done and she knew she could do it. She had murdered a church full of nazi vampires before. She was sure that there were others equally deserving.

“It’ll be like old times, babe. You, me, targets to release our stress and anger out at.” Lizzie grinned and tossed Hope the bottle, which she easily caught and took a swig of. Alaric looked over at her with judging eyes but Hope couldn’t care right now. If she was going to do this, underage drinking was the least of their problems. 

“Can I go now? The plan is set and I need to get back to work. Josie can take her time.” Lizzie didn’t care about Josie’s feelings one bit but a road trip and murder spree with her ex sounded exciting. She had spent the last few months with her sister and needed some fresh company (especially now that her sister was a loser). 

None of the others liked the plan one bit but when Hope placed a reassuring hand on Alaric’s shoulder, he nodded. “Try to keep her from getting into too much trouble,” Alaric pleaded. 

“I’ll try.” With that, both Lizzie and Hope left the room. They had some packing to do and plans to make. 

Alaric and Caroline looked over at Josie, concern clearly written all over their face. “You don’t have to do this, sweetie,” Caroline reassured. There had to be another way. She didn’t care how long it would take them to find an alternative route but they would keep searching.

“It’s easier this way. I just want this to be done with,” Josie replied. She nudged Penelope away and pushed herself off the desk. “I… I’m going to go take a walk. Clear my head.” Josie looked down at Penelope’s hand, which Penelope easily offered, before they left, leaving her parents behind. 

Josie led them into the woods, deeming it the best place to avoid people. Her mind was filled with thoughts of how she would once again have to lose herself. After everything Hope and Penelope went through to pull her back, she wasn’t sure if it would work again this time. What if she couldn’t come back? Lizzie had resisted. What if Josie was too much of a coward to come back now that she knew what was waiting for her? She didn’t want to do this.

But she didn’t have a choice.

As long as Cade was alive, there was always going to be a threat to her and her sister’s lives. Even worse, there would be a threat to everyone that cared about them. She had to do this. It was the right thing to do. Getting rid of Cade would be the best thing for this world. She knew that and yet it still terrified her.

“Josie,” Penelope called, getting her to stop in her tracks. “Talk to me.”

Josie bit her lip and nodded. Instead of continuing their walk, she found a patch of grass and sat down, pulling Penelope onto her lap. “I’m scared,” she confessed, nuzzling into Penelope’s neck. Her scent was comforting and that was what Josie needed right now. 

“You know we won’t let you do anything bad,” Penelope tried to reassure. Truthfully, Penelope was just as scared that she would lose Josie. Once Cade was dealt with, she doubted that Josie without her humanity would just sit down and take them dragging it back out of her. It took Alaric and Hope nearly a year to find the twins and they only got to them because Josie was curious enough to seek out Penelope. If the twins were to run away, they may not be able to recover them. 

“I’m not sure you can stop me.” Josie wasn’t stupid enough to fall for the same trick twice. Penelope caught her by surprise the first time. She knew that if she didn’t have her humanity, nothing would stop her from killing Penelope instantly the second time around. Penelope was strong but Josie knew she was stronger. 

“Then don’t do it. Lizzie and Hope are buying us time. All you need to do is learn how to fool Cade.” Josie didn’t have to turn her humanity off. She just had to be convincing enough for people to believe that it was. It would be hard but it wouldn’t be impossible, right? 

“I can’t, Penelope.” Josie couldn’t hurt anyone in this state. The guilt was too much. She could barely even drink human blood. Josie was never that good of an actor, Penelope knew that. She was a terrible liar. 

“We have time.” 

Josie shook her head. “Lizzie said that but every day I don’t step on it is another day people have to die. Even if they are bad people, they shouldn’t have to die just because I’m scared.” It wasn’t a solution. No matter what she did, people would be harmed. “Lizzie just said that because she wanted to have fun with Hope.” If the roles were reversed, Josie probably would have done the same thing.

Penelope couldn’t stand how helpless this felt. It wasn’t fair. Josie didn’t deserve this. If there were any way, she could take Josie’s place, she would gladly do it. “Tell me what you need.” For once, Penelope was at a loss. There was no joking out of this or giving Josie any hard truths. It was clear Josie was aware of them already.

Josie didn’t speak, instead, she kissed Penelope. She just needed to feel something good. Right now, being with Penelope was the only thing comparable to the ease she felt when she had her humanity turned off. With Penelope, Josie didn’t have to care and the world wouldn’t be burning because she wasn’t. Penelope leaned into the kiss, willing to give Josie whatever she needed at the moment. If it was a distraction, Penelope was more than happy to be one.

It didn’t take them long to return to the point they had been in before Caroline interrupted them. Their kisses were deep and their feelings heavy. The cool ground beneath them did nothing to temper the heat that was building between them and the world around them quickly faded. Josie’s senses were completely tuned onto Penelope, ignoring everything else that flowed around them. 

Their hands shoved aside the fabrics that muted their touches, desperate to make contact with bare skin. Neither of them could remember the last time they had been touched like this. There was no blind lust or rough want, just soft connection and utter trust. Gasps and moans escaped them, every brush of skin sending shocks throughout their bodies. 

They continued their touches, their hands and lips grazing every spot they could reach. The heat continued to build and filled their hearts to the point they threatened to burst. No words needed to be spoken to understand what they both needed. It was far too easy for them to bypass their skirts and push past what little fabric that was left blocking their way. With deeply memorized experience, their fingers worked the spots and angles that drove them both crazy and the explosion that followed was the only possible result. 

When their eyes met, three unmistakable words filled them:  _ I love you _ .


End file.
